Assistant Director of Admissions Systems and Operations

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $70,000 - $75,000

Position Summary

The Assistant Director of Admissions Systems and Operations for the Office of Graduate Degree Programs (“OGP”) is responsible for the management of the OGP systems, in particular our admission database and CRM system Slate. The Assistant Director is expected to be a subject matter expert in admission-related technology and will serve as the primary point of contact for Admission Staff, others throughout the Law School, and external consultants to support all items related to Slate. They will serve as the operational leader for day-to-day admissions processes and operational workflows. They will uphold and strengthen the integrity of the admissions process flow from application through enrollment. Reporting to the Director of Admissions and the Executive LL.M. Program, our Assistant Director of Admissions Systems and Operations is a key team member who is instrumental in ensuring a well-functioning admissions process.  

OGP supports Executive LL.M., J.S.D. and LL.M. students throughout their Columbia journey - from applicant through alumnus. We aim to attract leading lawyers from around the world and nurture their growth during this transformative time. We remain committed to our partnership with colleagues across the University and to our core values of connection, transparency, fairness and excellence. Through their experience at Columbia Law School, our students broaden their perspectives on legal and non-legal issues that shape who they want to be in the world.

Responsibilities

• Admission and CRM System Management:

  • Work closely with the Director of Admissions and the Executive LL.M. program on system and process design, but otherwise manage all activities tied to Slate, Student Information System (SIS), and related business systems, including implementation, testing, enhancements, integration, and maintenance, while following best practices on behalf of OGP and all affiliated and affected offices.

  • In consultation with the Director of Admissions and the Executive LL.M., lead and execute projects related to admissions processes from project inception to implementation, maintenance, and analysis.

  • Update and maintain applications, application status, and event portals for the LL.M., E.LL.M. and J.S.D. programs.

  • Collaborate and work with our Information Technology teams and external consultants to build and maintain data imports and exports between the Law School, Slate, UNITE, central University systems and/or other external systems.

  • Train and create documentation for relevant stakeholders, including Law School administrators, Faculty, and/or OGP staff.

  • Create and maintain communication templates within the CRM in alignment with University and Law School brand standards, and manage and deliver mailings to communicate with prospects, applicants, admits, and incoming students, ensuring consistency of our brand across our communications.  These include preparing various correspondence for distribution to prospects (including follow-up from recruiting events), applicants (including confirmation of receipt emails, admission decision letters, financial aid decisions, and correspondence related to other admissions activities) and confirmed students (deposit confirmations). There may also be ad hoc projects that require communication to current students and graduates (e.g., alumni newsletter).

  • Serve as OGP’s liaison to LSAC for all ACES2/UNITE system-related management.

  • Assist in maintaining existing and, where necessary, cultivating new relationships with vendors of application portals and other software or platforms related to admissions activities.

  • Assist when asked with recruiting and admissions/yield management activities, including by participating in online and in-person recruiting and yield events.

  • Implement the application reader review process (including between admissions and external offices/departments when necessary), including manual assigning of files if necessary.

  • Ensures the efficient processing of admission applications by developing and administering policies, procedures, and systems.

  • Assist with processing applications when submitted, verify all components are received and confirm applications are ready for review.

  • Assist in creating and be responsible for maintaining alumni records in Slate or other designated systems.

  • Design training modules and execute training to team members on fraud detection, document management, and other areas as needed based on an assessment of team member needs, working with team members and supervisors to ensure operational aspects of the work are executed to standard and best practices.

  • Works closely with entire team to create, monitor, and maintain master timeline for admissions operations and functions

   

  Data Coordination and Stewardship:

  • Work with the Director of Admissions and the Executive LL.M. program to help develop and execute record-keeping and data management protocols.  

  • Maintain primary responsibility for providing data analysis for enrollment management, including data cleaning, data management, and statistical analysis tasks, identifying and solving data issues, and tracking, organizing, and maintaining data and metrics.

  • Build and maintain queries and reports within Slate needed for admissions operations, Law School leadership and other institutional partners and needs. Create and manage queries and reports for the purpose of measuring, analyzing, and assessing admission data and results.

  • Work with both internal and external stakeholders to review data and application imports and exports into third-party sources, such as SIS, and other systems integral to the student life cycle.

  • Coordinates system audits to ensure data integrity and accuracy; works with on-line vendors and the Office of Registration Services to resolve data issues.

  • Oversees data input, verification, record matching, and data cleaning.

  • Executes annual data retention policies.

  
  

  Policy and Process Development and Compliance:

  • Develops and maintains a library of admissions policies and procedures.

  • Performs analyses, identifies problems and recommends solutions to optimize operations workflows; identifies process inefficiencies and implements improvements.

  • Maintains documentation and training materials related to compliance and decision workflows.

  • Ensure compliance with OGP’s document retention policy.

  
  

  Misc.:

  • Oversee the use and maintenance of the systems OGP uses including, but not limited to, Slack, CampusGroups, Symplicity, etc.

  • Recommend and implement AI tools to increase efficiency of OGP’s operations.

  • Represent OGP on CU and CLS committees and undertake special projects as requested by the Assistant Dean or Director of Admissions and the Executive LL.M. Program.

  • Assists Director of Admissions and the Executive LL.M. Program with implementation and management of any new databases and systems.

  • Engages with and collaborates with other departments as necessary to meet goals of the office.

  • Maintains proficiency with new technologies and techniques that assist in enhancing the system’s capabilities or improving office workflow efficiency.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 2 to 4 years of relevant experience is required.   
• Must be able to work with diverse constituencies and support an inclusive work environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• JD or MA preferred. Similar administrative experience at a major law school a significant plus. 
• Experience in a professional environment characterized by complex demands, large workloads, deadline pressures, diverse constituents, and high client/student expectations, preferably in (but not limited to) admissions, tech company or legal practice. 

Desired Competencies:

• Experience with Slate is required.

• Familiarity with or strong interest in developing knowledge of LSAC system UNITE, Columbia’s SIS or similar student information system, and other CRM or admissions systems.

• Data Analytics experience with student information systems and event registration systems.

• An understanding of innovative uses of technology in admissions workflow and financial aid processes.

• A passion for, and commitment to, delivering exceptional customer service.

• Experience managing resources and working with technology vendors.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion in the handling of sensitive and highly confidential information.

• Superior oral and written communication skills.

• Experience working in or demonstrated understanding of the characteristics of antiracist institutions.

• Demonstrated experience working successfully with students of diverse races, religions, orientations, abilities, cultural backgrounds, generations, etc. 

• Knowledge of or strong interest in understanding compliance standards related to recruiting, admissions and student engagement in the law school context. 

• Affinity for collaboration and ability to work well across all levels of an organization.

• Ability to multitask and be part of a collegial team, and maintain calm under pressure while balancing competing tasks and time sensitive matters.

• Excellent organizational and analytical skills and the ability to synthesize and meaningfully evaluate data.

• Ability to work some evenings and weekends.

• Experience demonstrating a progression of dealing with increasingly complex systems.

• Strong background and proven record in execution and problem-solving.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.